Half-Handed Cloud aka singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist John Ringhofer is back with another mythic tale of indie-pop mayhem for Asthmatic Kitty. Ringhofer is a storyteller first, he paints the picture with his words and then colors them in with the music. He is greatly influenced by Brian Wilson meaning the album is splint into sporadic, minute-long pop sequences with an overlying vibe; you can never really tell when one song ends and the next begins. He also surrounds himself with a lot of instrumentation including guitars, cellos, pianos, church organs, woodwinds, brass, non-instrument sounds, and eight-person chorus and all sorts of percussion. Ringhofer also brought a lot of his friends along for the ride, including Sufjan Stevens on drums (Ringhofer plays in his touring band), Daniel Smith of the Danielson Famile at the mixing boards and Rafter Roberts of Bunky fame in the mastering suite. It’s a good, late-night album, subtle in sound and interesting to listen to. Mpardaiolo